Thursday, December 27, 2007
thank God, the big holidays are over
Christmas, for someone whose family from California to Chicago to New York means a lot of travel and work. I seemed to bear the brunt of it. I quickly visited Chicago before making my way to California to visit the parents. The holidays, to a New Yorker, also mean holiday parties. Over the last few weeks I seemed to spend all evenings mingling with work people, friends, and family. This has led me to believe that there are two types of people in the world: Those that do some serious drinking and those that do not. If you don’t know where you fall, answer the following. During the holidays, do you find yourself:
A) Passed out under a Christmas tree.
B) Doing shots of tequila at a family cocktail party only to wake up not knowing where you were and how you got to bed.
C) Passed out in a subway car on your way back from a party, only to be awakened by the conductor.
D) Knowing the bar tender at the company Christmas party better than your colleagues.
If you answer “yes” to any of these, you are a serious drinker.
I answered “yes” to all.
Mom, having had a great time last year, came back to New York with her friend Paula. We had quite an experience. We were booked into three operas, one of which was one of the hottest tickets in New York: An internationally televised performance of Gounod’s opera “Romeo et Juliet” starring some of the most sought-after singers. Being gay also meant friends were performing in the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” which we got a backstage pass to meet the Rockettes, dancers, singers, stagehands, and animals in the performance. We also dined at the finest places New York has to offer and saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s stunning angel Christmas tree.
I then spent two days entirely with my grandparents helping them winterize their apartment, putting up their Christmas tree, and taking them out to dinner. (My apologies to friends who I didn’t have time to hang out with – fear not, I will be back in Feb to have fun.) After that I was off to California for the holiday itself.
Being my first retail holiday, things have also been busy at work, working into the night planning for the next two years, and figuring out last-minute Christmas campaigns and helping out the stores.
After a long day of traveling and looking out at the Statue of Liberty on the flight in, I have to say I was glad Christmas was over. What a whirlwind: Three weeks of non-stop travel, socializing and work was finally over. Now all that’s left was getting through New Year’s Eve.
That’s a synch: All I have to do is go to one party, here.
Finally, Christmas Day with my parents.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I probably mentioned a while back that a few successes in our cosmetics department has helped my career. The cosmetics we distribute are along the lines of the rest of our merchandise: Luxury. Those purchasing on the first floor of our stores fall into two basic categories, eyeliner tourist customers and serious customers obsessed with aging. The later spend nearly $3k a year on creams, lotions, eye products, and makeup. (Picture her, fourty-something beauty that has a rich husband and is potentially competing with the 20-somethings for her spouse.)
With a few major analyses under my belt with one of our top vendors, La Prairie, I was invited to their office a few blocks down on Fifth Avenue to view their marketing strategy for 2008. So we leave our building for the meeting, navigating the droves of tourists in awe of the snowflakes, our “snow people” campaign, a hundred snowflakes that dance to music on our building across from the Rockafeller Center tree, to the offices of this Swiss company that extracts elixirs of youth from caviar, seaweed, and God knows what else. Many of their signature creams can be purchased for ~$900.
Walking into the office we were greeted with a civility that would make Emily Post proud. “Let me take your jacket.” OK, here it is. “Thank you for coming. Please, it is this way to the meeting room.” And we are taken to a divine space adorned with orchids and with a plate of fruit and pastries along with sparking water and just about anything your heart could desire. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” And it is there that products promising to be customers’ fountain of youth are presented along with marketing materials for our best customers. Beauty events ranging from presentations from Jacques Cousteau’s wife to elephants coming down one of our entrances on Fifth Avenue are suggested and planned for. Our cosmetics buyers pour over details before presenting to us who they want to invite to these events.
A reality set in that these people know nothing of their customer besides what we tell them. And it was there I discovered my power. They wanted analyses done. Not bull shit, but real analysis done on why customers come into Saks and what else they are buying in the store, how frequently they visit, and suggestions on what marketing strategies they should employ to engage them.
Being mostly on the agency side, it was nice to be on the other side for a change. They gave us samples, totally had their shit together, and made every attempt to forge a partnership with us to understand and execute solutions to their problems. By the end of the meeting, they were eating out of our hands and gave us samples of their products as “gifts” for coming. I am now cleansing my face with something caviar, Christ! I could get used to this.
And it was then that in departing a meeting that their VP of sales grabbed my hands and kissed my left, then right cheek. “We are really looking forward to working with you on what we think will help drive our business, and yours.” I was stunned.
That was the first time I’ve ever been kissed after a meeting, and my crash-course introduction, awkwardly, into the world of fashion, beauty, and merchandising.
I WAS KISSED, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!
With a few major analyses under my belt with one of our top vendors, La Prairie, I was invited to their office a few blocks down on Fifth Avenue to view their marketing strategy for 2008. So we leave our building for the meeting, navigating the droves of tourists in awe of the snowflakes, our “snow people” campaign, a hundred snowflakes that dance to music on our building across from the Rockafeller Center tree, to the offices of this Swiss company that extracts elixirs of youth from caviar, seaweed, and God knows what else. Many of their signature creams can be purchased for ~$900.
Walking into the office we were greeted with a civility that would make Emily Post proud. “Let me take your jacket.” OK, here it is. “Thank you for coming. Please, it is this way to the meeting room.” And we are taken to a divine space adorned with orchids and with a plate of fruit and pastries along with sparking water and just about anything your heart could desire. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” And it is there that products promising to be customers’ fountain of youth are presented along with marketing materials for our best customers. Beauty events ranging from presentations from Jacques Cousteau’s wife to elephants coming down one of our entrances on Fifth Avenue are suggested and planned for. Our cosmetics buyers pour over details before presenting to us who they want to invite to these events.
A reality set in that these people know nothing of their customer besides what we tell them. And it was there I discovered my power. They wanted analyses done. Not bull shit, but real analysis done on why customers come into Saks and what else they are buying in the store, how frequently they visit, and suggestions on what marketing strategies they should employ to engage them.
Being mostly on the agency side, it was nice to be on the other side for a change. They gave us samples, totally had their shit together, and made every attempt to forge a partnership with us to understand and execute solutions to their problems. By the end of the meeting, they were eating out of our hands and gave us samples of their products as “gifts” for coming. I am now cleansing my face with something caviar, Christ! I could get used to this.
And it was then that in departing a meeting that their VP of sales grabbed my hands and kissed my left, then right cheek. “We are really looking forward to working with you on what we think will help drive our business, and yours.” I was stunned.
That was the first time I’ve ever been kissed after a meeting, and my crash-course introduction, awkwardly, into the world of fashion, beauty, and merchandising.
I WAS KISSED, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
For a jaded New Yorker, a tortured path to triumph
Time has been flying by these days. With coffee with the opera club on Monday night, working late on Tuesday, the opera on Wednesday night (that ended up also being a meeting of a friend’s friend), drinks with Rob Friday night, doing volunteer work at the store on Saturday all day, and then finally meeting Sonya and Matt on Saturday night, it's been a busy week. By the time we’d had Korean BBQ and a beer, it was 9pm and I was completely wiped out. I went home, poured myself into pajamas, and went to bed. Feeling a sickness come on, I stayed in today, siped tea and watched the season's first snow fall.
While I generally like to keep this blog to be all about me, me, me, I must also acknowledge other things in the world. Saturday night’s dinner with Sonya and Matt brought the news that they were engaged. Wow!
I’ve known Sonya for about 8 years now. When we worked together we would either work into the night and ate dinner at the firm together, or would leave work ~8pm, go out to a movie to eat a dinner of popcorn & soda. Neither of us wanted to do anything but sleep at home. We’d roll into work around 10am the next day and start the cycle all over again. We worked hard and were the top analysts with the practice, primarilly because we were didn't want to go home. This went on for years.
At the time, this friendship bordered on therapy because it blossomed during the darkest parts of our lives. We always had our tortured love lives to relate to. She’d had the worst of luck, even when she went to Harvard Business School - prime mating grounds for the elite - she found nothing but pain from lovers and family. I was trying to figure my way out of the twilight of a long-term relationship.
She’s been seeing Matt for two years now. He’s wonderful, intelligent, sociable, polite, curious, a classical music/opera enthusiast, and absolutely adorable. Now they are to be married. Her situation gives me hope that even when the odds are against you, love finds its way in.
While I generally like to keep this blog to be all about me, me, me, I must also acknowledge other things in the world. Saturday night’s dinner with Sonya and Matt brought the news that they were engaged. Wow!
I’ve known Sonya for about 8 years now. When we worked together we would either work into the night and ate dinner at the firm together, or would leave work ~8pm, go out to a movie to eat a dinner of popcorn & soda. Neither of us wanted to do anything but sleep at home. We’d roll into work around 10am the next day and start the cycle all over again. We worked hard and were the top analysts with the practice, primarilly because we were didn't want to go home. This went on for years.
At the time, this friendship bordered on therapy because it blossomed during the darkest parts of our lives. We always had our tortured love lives to relate to. She’d had the worst of luck, even when she went to Harvard Business School - prime mating grounds for the elite - she found nothing but pain from lovers and family. I was trying to figure my way out of the twilight of a long-term relationship.
She’s been seeing Matt for two years now. He’s wonderful, intelligent, sociable, polite, curious, a classical music/opera enthusiast, and absolutely adorable. Now they are to be married. Her situation gives me hope that even when the odds are against you, love finds its way in.
